Walk This Way
by crackinthedoor
Summary: Katherine Barnes has just been wrongfully sentenced. Problem is, she gets shipped off to Fox River, a men's penitentiary. Unfortunately, keeping a low profile just isn't working out, especially when she's got the notorious John Abruzzi braiding her hair in the yard. MICHAEL/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hi y'all! So this my first time ever doing something like this, but I watched Prison Break on Netflix the other day and my mind just wouldn't let me rest until I cranked this out. I'm already working on the next few chapters, so if y'all like it, let me know! Please leave reviews or favorites! CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is much appreciated. Enjoy!**

My name is Katherine. You might say that I'm different than most girls my age.

I'm always smiling, laugh at the silliest things, and am a self-proclaimed expert when it comes to all things Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Supernatural. Trust me, you don't even want to get me started on Castiel or The Winter Soldier.

I'm pretty smart I guess, graduated at the top of my class at Clemson, was on the Rally Cat dance squad, and know a thing or two about architecture. I had my entire life mapped out; join my uncle's firm, meet a sweet guy, take over the company, have two daughters and one boy, and eventually retire in the countryside. Try to live the apple pie life, ya know?

Today though, today is a day that I thought would never come. If I just hadn't come home that night, maybe things would be different. Maybe I'd be okay.

I winced as the gavel slammed, bringing me out of my musings and back into the bleak courtroom where I was waiting for the words that would let me breathe easy again.

" _Or send you to jail,"_ I thought gloomily.

I squirmed on the cold, uncomfortable bench while the judge reviewed the trial notes.

" _Maybe she'll realize that this whole thing was completely unnecessary and that I'm innocent and can go back to my warm couch, put on 'The Empire Strikes Back', and forget that this incident ever even happened."_ A small smile crept onto my face as I thought about it, but I smothered it quickly so not to make myself look guilty. I can't let that smug prosecutor use anything else against me.

Finally, the judge called us over and hope bubbled up inside me. " _This is it, you'll be okay."_ The judge just sighed and looked down at me. The hope suddenly turned to cold fear in the pit of my stomach.

"Miss Barnes, you have hereby been found guilty for…"

Her words were drowned out as my world came crashing down around my ears. All I could hear was white noise and the sound of everything that I worked my ass off for tumbling to pieces. I was jolted back to that godforsaken courtroom when I heard the words " _Fox River State Penitentiary."_

All politeness forgotten, I blurted, "Wait, your honor, please, that's a male prison!" I can't go to a male prison! I watch TV, I know what's about to go down if they put me there.

My breathing sped up as the officer led me away, with the words " _Fox River"_ playing like a broken record in my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey y'all! Thank you to those who have followed this story! If y'all have any ideas for the storyline, please leave me a review! Enjoy!**

We pulled up to the Fox River State Penitentiary in the prisoner bus about a week after my trial. I kept my head down the whole ride and tucked my hair in a cap to hide any traces of femininity for as long as I possibly could. Luckily, the CO's were aware of my _unique_ situation and were willing to do whatever they could to keep me safe.

Well, everyone except for fucking Bellick, I swear, that man has a telephone pole jammed ten feet up his ass. I stepped off the bus and nearly tripped, but managed to regain my balance before I face-planted and became the prison joke.

Unfortunately, this grabbed the attention of one Brian Bellick, who smirked and sauntered over to me like he ruled the place. He leaned down, eyes widening with recognition before a terrible smile came over his face.

He stepped back and yelled, "Look what we got here! A con who thinks he runs the joint."

My face grew hot when every con in the yard turned to watch the show. " _Well there goes flying below the radar,"_ I thought.

"Take it off," he sneered.

"W-w-what?" I stammered. He knew I was a girl! What was he playing at?

That was obviously the wrong response because before I could blink, he knocked the hat off my head and onto the muddy ground. I could feel my long brown hair fall tumble loose down my back and the wave of whispers and unsettling chuckles from the onlookers set me on edge.

As the rest the newbies were dismissed to go explore the yard, I was rooted to the spot, in fear that some sick bastard would try to come talk to me, and looked around with wide, terrified eyes at my surroundings. I could still feel the unnerving eyes of the men on me as I slowly turned around, searching for some escape.

" _Breathe, Katie. In and out. This won't be so bad! It's just like high school. Be nice, make friends, stay out of trouble."_

Okay, now that the mandatory freak out has been taken care of, I need to do something about my hair. It's too long to be left loose and if someone got the wrong idea, it could definitely be used against me, but I've been growing it out for years, so there's no way in hell I'm cutting it off.

I walk over to the sweet CO named Bob that helped me cope after my trial and whispered to him what I needed. He complied with a smile, so I hugged him and walked away.

A group of scary looking men caught my eye and I was all set on hightailing it in the other direction, but then I recognized one of them: John Abruzzi. I don't remember what he was arrested for, but what I do remember is seeing an interview of his precious family on the news in the aftermath of his trial.

Putting on a brave face and a sunny smile, I start to walk over to the table. I try not to notice the snickers and cat calls and stop in front of Mr. John Abruzzi.

"Mr. Abruzzi?" I asked timidly, glancing down at the ground and back up again. I was met with his incredulous face and leery grins from his crew. I soldiered on, knowing that the entire yard had once again gone silent, watching our exchange.

"Do you have a daughter?" That was clearly not the right thing to say, because his face turned a rather impressive shade of puce. My began to race and I started to ramble. Maybe if I got it all out before his fist met my face, he would be willing to help me.

"As you've probably noticed, I'm the only girl at Fox River and I have a bit of a problem. I am not tough, at all, like I can't even stand the sight of blood and I've noticed that the men in here look at me like I'm a piece of meat and that terrifies me because I watch Criminal Minds, I know what some of these guys are in for and I can't even bring myself to kill the spider in my shower cup back home and I have really long hair as you can see. Well, of course you've seen, you saw the whole Bellick thing and oh god I'm rambling so I'm just going to stop now."

I must've closed my eyes at some point because when I opened them, John Abruzzi, the Chicago mob boss ( _Because of course you remember what he was in here for AFTER you word vomit on him_ ), was standing in front of me with amusement in his eyes.

"What do you need," he huffed. _Okay, Katie breathe, you got this._ I looked him square in the eye and said in a tremulous voice, "Will you please braid my hair?"

His tough facade crumbled instantly, replaced by a look of sympathy. He could see how scared I was in the way that I constantly checked my surroundings and shied away from the men behind him. He motioned to the bench he was sitting on, told his men to scram, and held his hand out for the hair ties that I knew he'd seen me get from Bob.

"So squirt, where ya from?" Sitting on the bench gave me a great view of the yard and I'll be damned if that wasn't the highlight of my week.

Everyone in the whole yard, cons and CO's alike, looked on in utter shock as the feared John Abruzzi and I sat on that bench yapping away as he braided my hair like we were at a slumber party. He even had the foresight to twist the two braids into a knot at the nape of my neck so that no untoward men could use my hair to their advantage.

"All done kiddo," he said as I whipped around gleefully. "So do ya want me to do yours now?" I grinned and reached for his hair playfully.

"Hey, hey, hey hands of the merchandise!" he huffed as he slapped my hands away. My grin faded as I got up and faced him.

"Seriously, though, I can't thank you enough," I whispered. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbled with a trace of an Eastern European accent. "Same time tomorrow or what?"

My face lit up and I launched myself at him, hugging him for all I was worth. He stiffened at first, but eventually returned the hug.

I pulled away grinning and skipped over to where Bellick was waiting stormy-faced to take me to Warden Pope. Halfway across the yard, I stopped, looked back and hollered, "See ya tomorrow Mr. Abruzzi!"

As I was turning back towards Bellick, I suddenly stopped. Not sure why I did, I scanned the yard.

That's when I saw him, staring back at me with the most piercing eyes I had ever seen. He had a strong jaw, tattoo sleeves poking out of his shirt, and close cropped hair. Only one thought ran through my mind in that moment and I am not ashamed to say that it was the words, " _Well hot damn."_

Coughing to cover up the fact that I had totally just been caught staring, I rushed over to an impatient Bellick, but not before I caught the smirk that graced the handsome stranger's face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Told y'all I'd have the next one up soon:)**

I am very much done with Fox River, thank you very much. Except John. And maybe the cute guy from the yard. _No, stop that this instant._ But especially the higher-ups. I mean, who in their right mind makes the only woman in a male prison be cellmates with not one, but two men?

So many thoughts swirled through my brain that I almost didn't hear the crude comments being lobbed my way as I was marched down the row. Almost.

How could it have come to this, why is this happening to me?

I tried to keep my chin up and eyes forward as we passed cells that housed some of the worst people to walk the earth, but my trembling hands betrayed me as we finally reached cell number 41.

Oh god, what if one of them assaulted me? I can't fight off one man, much less two!

Clearly Bellick was blissfully unaware of my hysteria because he shoved me, a little harder than necessary if you ask me, into the cell. My foot caught on the iron doorway and I would've sprawled on the ground if it hadn't been for a set of strong and inexplicably warm arms.

I glanced up to thank my knight in rusty armor, but the words died on my lips when I was once again met with sharp blue eyes that seemed to see straight through me.

"Barnes, meet your new cellmates, Michael Scofield & Fernando Sucre. Have fun with her boys."

My head whipped around. I could clearly hear what the lilt in his voice was implying and I didn't like the sound of it at all. I yanked myself from the man's, whom I assumed was named Scofield, arms and flew to the door just as it clanged shut.

"Please, no, you can't this to me! Don't leave me here, please, please…"

Heavy sobs wracked my body as I sank to the floor and crawled into the corner, trying to shield myself as much as I could from the towering men above me.

The noise was just too much. I could hear John shouting at us from across the way, threatening my cellmates within an inch of their lives if they laid even one unwanted finger on me. The CO's were riling up the cons, the cons were still whistling and catcalling, and my new roommates were arguing furiously by the bunk about what to do with this unexpected development.

As the exhaustion from my stressful day crept over me, the last thing I saw was a pair of muscled and tattooed arms reaching down to cradle me gently and block out the god-awful noise. _Well, that could've gone better._


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh my gosh, thank you so much LexiMcGeek for your sweet words! Also, thank you to the few that have favorited or followed this story! There's lots of goodness to come, so read and review! Enjoy!**

"Unnnnnggghh, turn off the damn light."

I snuggled further into my warm pillow in a futile attempt to hide from my mother's inevitable wake-up call. My pillow began to rumble under my face at that, but I ignored it and burrowed in further, trying to hide from the blinding lights.

Wait, rumble?

Now that I think about it, this pillow is awfully warm and suspiciously solid.

Peeking open my eyes, I come face to face with a wall of intricate tattoos.

 _Well that's new._

Suddenly, the events of the week came rushing back to me. _Guilty… Fox River… New cellmates…Have fun boys._

I screamed for all I was worth and launched myself across the cell and out of Michael Scofield's arms for the second time in less than 12 hours. Sucre snapped out of bed immediately, looking around for a threat, but only finding his new cellmate plastered against the wall and crippled by fear.

I searched frantically around the cell for some sort of weapon or protection, but only found the same pair of mesmerizing blue eyes from the day before. _Again, hot damn._

Michael slowly stood, never once taking his eyes off of me and I blushed seeing the artwork adorning his arms and torso.

"So... " he drawled. "Not a morning person I take it?"

I stared at him bewildered for a minute, but flushed bright red when my sleep-addled brain finally realized that it was Michael's toned chest that I had been using as a pillow. Seeing my red face, Michael smirked in a way that did nothing to rein in my blush.

 _Bad Katie! He's a criminal, remember? Who knows what he's in here for. Remember, stick to the plan, it's just like high school. It doesn't matter how cute he is, get your shit together!_

A bark of laughter broke me out of my thoughts as my cellmates laughed. "Thanks for the compliment, darling," he chuckled. _Wait, what?_

I hung my head in my hands and groaned when I realized that I had said the last part aloud.

"I have GOT to work on this whole brain-to-mouth filter thing."

"I don't know, mami, I think you're doing just fine," Sucre teased.

"Ignoring my previous statement, however truthful it may be- ( _Damn it!)_ Sucre, stop laughing at me, you know I can't control it- I should probably introduce myself. The name's Katherine Barnes, but you can call me Katie."

I grinned up the two men in front of me as they looked down on me with the goofiest smiles on their faces. The moment was shattered by the bellow of "TIER TIME."

In an instant, the smile slid off of my face and I whipped around to see the metal bars sliding back, exposing me to every single con in A-Block. I edged out of the door to get a feel for my "home sweet home" when three things happened.

One, I could see John shoving his way through the crowd towards my cell as fast as he could.

Two, someone grabbed my arms and shoved me out of my cell and up against the railing, hard.

Three, my regulation blue button up was torn open, revealing my plain white sports bra as my attacker slammed me back into the bar when I struggled in his grip. His musty breath was hot on my face, I could hear my heart jackrabbiting in my chest. He was a creepy man, the sort you see on trial for rape or pedophilia, with a wispy goatee and a gaunt face. He leered at me in what I'm sure was his attempt at a seductive smile.

"Well, lookee what we got here fellas." He smiled, revealing his revolting and yellowed teeth. "We got ourselves a lady up in the joint!" His shout turned most of the heads in the block, everyone waiting eagerly for a show. Tears ran down my face as I looked around frantically for someone, anyone to pry the pervert off of me. "Name's Theodore Bagwell, but a sweet young thing like you can call me T-Bag."

He pulled out his pocket and held it towards me. "Take this darling and no one will touch you here." Looking me up and down, he licked his lips. "Well, nobody except me."

My lips twisted up into a sneer and before anyone could stop me, my infamous attitude came busting out

"Okay, first things first, back the hell up sir, please and thank you!" His face went slack-jawed and his grip loosened enough for me to slip out of his grip and move back a bit. "Next, we have GOT to do something about your manners! Tell me, if your mama knew you were trying to hurt a girl, what would she say?"

I glared at him with my best disappointed mother hen look,as I absentmindedly buttoned my shirt back up. The second floor looked on, amused as the only girl on the block gave this douche the dressing-down of his life. I could sense T-Bag's simmering rage from 10 feet away.

I hesitantly moved back over to my attacker, keeping an eye on his hands to watch for ay sudden movements. I could see Michael tense out of the corner of my eye and waved my hand in a reassuring gesture in his direction, keeping my eyes fixed on T-Bag's. I lowered my voice to a deadly whisper.

"Listen up Theodore and listen good. If you touch me again, I can guarantee that you will not be walking away with all body parts intact." He laughed raspily in my face and glanced back at his men. "Sweetheart, you couldn't hurt a fly, we heard your little confession to our local Mafia man." I matched his threatening grin with one of my own.

"Oh, I know that. That's more something _they_ would do." With that, I gestured behind me to the stormy faces of Abruzzi and his gang, Sucre, Michael, and a couple of others staring down T-Bag's gang menacingly.

"Get the picture?" I smiled brilliantly as the group of unsettling men retreated, whispering heatedly. I turned to thank my protectors only to run straight into Michael's broad chest. I looked up at him warily, but softened remembering how wonderfully warm and safe I felt in his arms earlier. The small smile he shot me sent tingles up and down my spine as he slung an arm around my waist and led the way to the dining hall.

 **I am not sure if the chapter titles are messed up, so if they are, could someone please tell me how to fix it? Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's feeling like a two-for-one kinda night;)**

 **Y'all I am so sorry, I messed up, so go back and read this because I posted the current Chapter 5 before posting this! Ahhh! Thank you so so much for all the love, putting more up soon!**

"Spaghetti, hon?" The lunch lady held out a spoonful of what I guess was supposed to be spaghetti, but had a grayish tinge to it.

"Yes ma'am, thank you!" I replied cheerfully, my 8 years of drill team dance kicking in on reflex. A smile spread across her wrinkled face as I beamed at her and waved goodbye.

I scanned the room for a place to sit and found Michael sitting alone with John hanging over his shoulder. He seemed to be whispering in his ear and from what I could tell, Michael didn't like what he was saying at all. His jaw clenched and he deliberately kept his eyes down. The anger was plain to see on his face and I hesitated, unsure if it was safe to be around him, but just then, John looked up and noticed me. He grinned and motioned me over.

"Hey kiddo." He slung an arm over my shoulders and gave me a quick hug. I laughed, then smiled sweetly down at Michael. He shot me one of those smirks that never failed to make me blush, so I ducked my head to break his gaze. Unfortunately, this did not go unnoticed by John, who narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me and glanced between me and the still-smirking convict who sat at the table.

I noticed his mood change and hurried to divert his attention away from thoughts of murdering my cell mate.

"John, I won't be in the yard today, so can you come by our cell during tier time to braid my hair?"

"What do you mean you won't be in the yard?" Michael spoke up. Both men in front of me looked shocked. "Everyone has to go to the yard."

I laughed at their ridiculous expressions and said, "I talked to the Warden and he agreed that it wasn't safe for me to be out in the yard every day, so he is letting me have free rein in A Block on certain days while everyone else is in the yard. This way, I can have an hour to myself to just breathe and not worry about getting harassed."

I didn't tell them, however, that despite how gruff they had first appeared, Bob and Captain Bellick had softened towards me. They each pulled me aside individually and told me that they not only believed I was innocent, but that they hated that such a kindhearted and cheery girl (their words, not mine) had been thrown in with murderers and rapists. Even Warden Pope expressed his deep regret and hugged me warmly, telling me that if I needed anything, all I had to do was ask. To cheer me up just a little bit, they were letting me play music over the cellblock speakers while the men were out in the yard. This past week is really taking it's toll on me, so I figured that a little time to dance and get lost in my music would do me some good. Maybe even take your mind off Michael, with that toned body and those freaking amazing eyes of his, my mind whispered traitorously.

John shook his head and chucked my chin before swaggering back over to his gang. I poked at my plate reluctantly and looked up when I heard Michael's low chuckle. "You really are something else, aren't you Katie?"

"To quote one Mr. Michael Scofield, thanks for the compliment, darling."

I turned back to my meal with a grin on my face and the sound of Michael's laughter ringing in my ears.

I've been at Fox River for a week now. It's not too bad yet, you just can't piss off Bellick because he'll throw you in the SHU faster than you can blink. Today, was taking advantage of my top-secret "yard" time. The Pope had asked me to keep quiet about the fact that I was being given free rein of the block in fear of a riot, but I knew I could trust John and Michael with the information. I just hope it doesn't bite me in the ass.

All the boys were already out in the yard and the cell block seemed to echo with every step I took. Looking around the cavernous space, I decided that it didn't look so scary like this; empty, quiet, waiting for something or someone to fill the silence. I stretched and warmed up for a bit before getting to my feet and calling out.

"Hey Bob, you there?"

"Yeah Katie, I'm here. What song do you want today?" came his reply over the intercom.

 _Because that's totally not a hard question._ I thought for a moment before shouting out, "Have you heard of the fabulous Miss Nicki Minaj?"

A short laugh came over the speakers as he said yes. Before long, the contagious beat of Nicki Minaj's "Trini Dem Girls" drifted over the speakers.

"Bob, your taste in music is impeccable"

"Thank you ma'am, I like to think that," he teased.

He started the song over for me and I shook my arms out. The drums and rap drowned out everything else until the only thing on my mind was the music. I love everything about dance, it's in my blood, but when it comes to hip hop, my limbs somehow know where to go before I even finish the thought in my mind.

The song eventually trailed off and I heard tinny clapping as Bob applauded me over the speaker while I bent over to catch my breath.

The next 45 minutes flew by as I switched from hip hop, to kick routines from drill team, to pom from college, to contemporary, to jazz and back again. The familiar routines made me think of home, my friends, and my family. God, I miss it all so much it hurts. The feeling I get when I just let go and give in to the music allows me to let go of some of that pain, even if it's just for an hour.

"Time's almost up Katherine."

"Just one more, please please please!" I pleaded. I knew I was pushing it and that the other cons could come back at any moment, but if I didn't completely exhaust myself, my ADD would get the best of me at night and Michael and Sucre would have to pay the price of having an overactive nerd in their cell. I had to go see the doc today to get my prescription. Hey, I converted them to Team Cap, so that's a win in my book! _Good god woman, focus! At least you get your meds today._

He sighed heavily, but I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, "Fine, hold on."

" _Drank… Young Money… "_

I beamed up at where I knew Bob was operating the speakers. He must've remembered when I told him that at my last high school pep rally, I choreographed a hip hop number for our team to perform to Jason Derulo's "Swalla." It was probably one of the best performances that dinky old gym had ever seen, if I do say so myself, and I loved that Bob was such an eager listener.

I ran my hands through my hair for the opening words.

 _Love in a thousand different flavors_

 _I wish that I could taste them all tonight_

I hit every beat in the hook with ease as I fell back into the routine that was engraved into my bones. I moved all the way through to Ty Dolla Sign's verse, dropping low and doing some of my best moves, which, I'll admit, aren't the most appropriate, but hey, it was a hit at that pep rally, so what the hell. I hit a turning russian on the last beat in the chorus and dropped to a crouch right before Nicki jumped in.

 _Bad gyal no swalla nuttin', word to the Dalai Lama_

 _He know I'm a fashion killa, word to John Galliano_

I smiled widely as I hit the hip pop in my favorite verse as I weaved my way through the dance and just let the music take me away.

I was so caught up in the song that I failed to notice the steadily growing (and surprisingly silent) crowd of men that had begun to form at the entrance to the cell block. If I had bothered to take a look, I would have seen the bewildered faces of the convicts of Fox River who were all wondering how, in less than 24 hours, this spitfire sweetheart had managed to have the entire penitentiary wrapped around her pinky finger and didn't even realize it.

I was so lost in the beat that I missed the appreciative glint in Michael's eye and the knowing glance and nudge to his shoulder from Sucre as I finished out the verse.

I ended the dance by dropping into my middle splits. I laughed breathily, rolling to face the wall and started to gather my hair into a messy bun. I'd have to ask John for help with it later.

"So, Bob, how'd I do? Was my left leg straight on the turning russian? Because you already know that I asked you to watch for it when I ran through jazz, so-"

"I thought it looked pretty good," a voice drawled that was most certainly not Bob's. I whipped around to face T-Bag, the voice's owner, and the now massive group of criminals that looked as though they had clearly been there for more than just a few seconds. _Well, shit._

 **Leave some love, pretty please?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi again! So this chapter is laying the groundwork for the "Riots, Drills, and the Devil" storyline, so guess who's making an entrance?? That's right, it's the one, the only, SARA TANCREDI!!! Also, more Michael/Katie cuteness and just general awesomeness. Please please PLEASE read and review! Comments are love:) Enjoy!**

 _Well this is awkward._

T-Bag was leaning up against the staircase with his cronies leering unpleasantly behind him. The glint in his eyes was far more dangerous than it was before.

Unconsciously, I stepped back a bit, intimidated by the sheer number of criminals staring at me. My fear was increasing exponentially until brown eyes met ice blue.

 _Michael._

He shoved his way through the increasingly unnerving crowd, Sucre on his tail, glared at T-Bag as he passed, and came to a halt in front of me.

On reflex, I averted my eyes and waited for… actually, I'm not sure what I was waiting for, but being mentally undressed and leered at by some of the worst people to grace the Earth had skewed my expectations quite a bit.

Whispers were broke out amongst the crowd as they observed their resident smartass as he gently tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and let his fingers trail down my cheek absentmindedly, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.

"Please, just get me out of here."

Something in Michael's eyes flared when he heard my trembling whisper. He slung his arm around my shoulders and turned to face the now-restless crowd. My jaw nearly dropped and I could feel the furious blush rise in my cheeks as I saw more than a few cons snicker at my reaction to Michael's protective gesture.

"Show's over fellas. Now move."

"Now hang on just a minute there Mikey," T-Bag drawled. "I'm not sure Katie was quite finished putting on a show and I for one would love to see the rest."

His voice carried a challenging note to it, one that made Michael tense for reasons I didn't quite understand. Suddenly, I just felt so completely done. Done with the intensity of the situation, T-Bag's perverted comments, and the embarrassment of my current predicament. Something inside me just snapped.

"Fuck off Theodore, I don't really feel like putting up with your shot right now."

 _Really??? Are you kidding me??? Now is seriously not the time to mouth off to him, Katie._

T-Bag's face reddened and his posture stiffened as he sent a curt nod towards the other cons. At least 20 men began to move forward menacingly.

At this, Michael abruptly shoved me behind him and the group of cons finally splintered. A ton of white guys and some Latinos grouped around T-Bag while Sucre, the Italians and the African Americans moved defensively over toward me and Michael.

The tension in the air was palpable as both sides waited for the other to make a move. I fisted my hands in the back of Michael's jumper and laid my head between his shoulder blades. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable chaos as I single tear slid down my cheek. God, I can't even enjoy one moment of peace and happiness in here before it's ripped to shreds.

 _Where the hell are those guards?_

As if on cue, a voice sliced through the air.

"Barnes!"

I never thought I'd be so grateful to see Bellick, but in that moment, he was a godsend.

"Get your ass to the infirmary before you cause a goddamn riot!"

"Yes sir!" I replied in a sarcastic voice. I gently pried myself away from the safe arms of my cellmate and stared up at him for a second too long.

"Are you alright?"

His concerned whisper damn near made my heart melt, but somehow I kept it together just enough to give him a nod.

"In case you haven't noticed darlin, I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

I heard Sucre snort off to my left and a muffled groan from John and snickers from the rest of the onlookers.

 _Jesus, these cons are worse than a sitcom audience. I mean, it's like having your own personal laugh track! Actually, that would be kinda cool… no, focus on your embarrassment Katie!_

I quickly reviewed my statement in my head and upon finding nothing wrong with it, turned and shot Sucre a bewildered look.

"Darlin?"

I flushed beer red as the men around me began to chuckle at my naivety. I shot Michael a half-hearted glare as I pretended to pout.

Geez, thank you mother dearest for raising me to call literally everyone either hon, darling, or sweetheart. Really coming in handy right about now.

Forcing my laughter away, I straightened and attempted to recover at least a shred of my dignity. I looked Michael straight in the eyes and smirked, enjoying the look of surprise that flickered across his features. I leaned in close, almost enough to be considered seductive and looked up at him through hooded eyes.

"Hon, if you can't handle my 'Southern Belle' side, that doesn't say much about your tolerance. I mean, considering I already lectured you and Fernando about the finer points of the Star Wars universe and that, despite what the world may tell you, Han shot first."

I clapped a hand over my mouth once my mini rant came to an end, completely mortified that I had basically revealed to all of Fox River just how big of a geek I was, but my worries washed away when I saw some of the ever-present tension leak out of Michael's shoulders as he let out an honest-to-god laugh. I giggled along with him and, if only for a moment, I felt at home with him, safe.

"Jesus Christ, quit eye-fucking Scofield and get to the infirmary NOW Barnes!"

Ah, Bellick, ever the eloquent master of words. Too embarrassed to look Michael in the eye, I pivoted and skipped over to Bellick while the men's started to wander off for tier time. If I'd looked back, I would've seen the rare sight of a speechless Michael Scofield being chucked on the arm by most of the cons that had surrounded us. _Again, real-life sitcom audience!_

I flicked Bellick's hat as I pranced by just to piss him off, scurried out of his retaliatory swing at me, and raced down the hallway toward the infirmary, laughing gleefully and only stopping to thank dear ol' Bob for risking his ass to let me dance.

I slammed open the infirmary doors, already bracing myself for the inevitable lecture that the resident doctor would be sure to dole out, but was faced instead with an unexpected, though not unwelcome, surprise.

"Katie?!"

Oh. My. God.

It was Sara Tancredi, my sorority sister and fellow Rally Cat back at Clemson.

"Tanny! What the hell are you doing in this shithole?!"

She guffawed, a wide smile spreading across her face. "I can see that English major sure made its mark on you, Katie Cat." I grinned at her lighthearted teasing.

"Get over here already!" She opened her arms and I didn't hesitate to barrel into her, clinging to her like a lifeline, my one connection to home. We gripped each other tightly.

"I know you aren't guilty Katie, so don't worry about me thinking any less of you," she whispered in my ear. I choked out a sob at her words and clung to her. Finally, someone who saw me for who I truly was. I was so relived, my knees nearly buckled. Suddenly, the itch in the back of my subconscious became too much.

"Not to be rude, but may I have my meds now? Kinda going crazy over here."

We broke apart and Sara raised a teasing eyebrow.

"Not literally! I have ADD, you know this and also, my day's been a little surreal and mama needs some meds to help remind her that she's not off her rocker."

Sara giggled at my talking in the third person, but acquiesced and we dove right into conversation, talking for nearly three hours until Bellick came back to take me to the mess hall for dinner.

As I hugged my only connection to my real life goodbye, some of the constant worry I had been carrying seemed to dissipate and I walked away feeling, no knowing that whatever other shit this hellhole threw my way, I could handle it.

 _Boy, was I wrong._


End file.
